North Dakota May Become First to Provide Statewide Wi-Fi

As crazy as the concept may sound, North Dakota may very well be on its way to becoming the first state in the U.S. to provide statewide Wi-Fi.

Recently, the State of Technology summit took place at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fargo with many well known technological developers present, including keynote speaker, Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith. The summit featured several other innovators and speakers focused on the importance of computer science in our region. CEO of Dakota Carrier Network (DCN) Seth Arndorfer provided one of the biggest announcements of the night when he said that DCN and its 15 owner companies are in the process of establishing a secure Wi-Fi network across the state of North Dakota.

If it happens, it would be the first Wi-Fi network to provide access points throughout an entire state. Internet growth has been documented for this project since 2003 and has doubled every 12 to 15 months. Arndorfer said that less and less people are conducting a majority of their business while hardwired to a network and that internet accessibility is more about fiber and connectivity.

DCN is a major provider of broadband and internet-related services in the region.

U.S. Senator John Hoeven (ND) hosted the event. Hoeven said he firmly believes North Dakota is poised to become a leader in technology as the state has already done in agriculture and energy.